Not sure about that Jasper Disaster move but it'll probably work.

Btw, I get Peacock but went with Flo and VPN anyway. It was that bad. Really just wanted Roll or Phil to tell us who was in the front group and less suitcase of courage crap. Too much?

I don't remember any gap much over 2 minutes in this century.

Eddy Merckx won by over 5 minutes once.

I know, he just has to enjoy the free ride.

Hopefully we’ll get an MvP x Ferris showdown at Liege.

Thanks. Didn’t realize Van Baarle had such a big gap. And i somehow thought FC had only ~75 sec in 2010.

Politt looks thrashed. Probably not faking it.

I think I was wrong about this - Boonen won the WC in 2005, but of course he didn't have it yet for the Spring Classics.

Fastest Paris Roubaix, unofficially 47.8 kph.

Crazy how MvdP was injured and/or out of it for a few seasons and now he is destroying everyone. So I am hoping WvA will come back the same way.

Jasper was my disaster for a podium pick sweep.

I was really, really hoping that Mads could somehow outsprint Jasper.

Never was going to happen because of Jasper's mostly "free" ride in that group.

Peacock

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clm
Nashville, TN
https://twitter.com/ironclm | http://ironclm.typepad.com

Saying, "injured and/or out of it for a few seasons" is really putting it a little too strong. Since 2020 (2019 was his breakout year in road cycling -- and hardly a full road season), he has won a monument every year since 2020. He was slightly down in 2021, but still managed 3rd in Robaix, 1st in Strade Bianche and a stage in TDF, and various wins in other races. There are not many riders for whom MvDP's 2021 wouldn't be an absolute dream.

Yet generally, your point is well taken as this last year for him has been exceptional. Asked recently why this period stands out, he said that he's been lucky with a stretch of time with without injuries, bad crashes, or bad luck. Notably little or no problem over the last year with the back injury he had at Tokyo Olympics in 2020.

If you look at his schedule in 2019 and 2020, he did limited road racing. Thus in a way, in addition to his back being ok now, you could also say that he is only in his 4th season of serious road racing.

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It doesn't really matter what Phil is saying, the music of his voice is the appropriate soundtrack for a bicycle race. HTupolev

I knew it was a forlorn hope, but having picked Mads for 2nd I had to keep hoping a bug would fly into Jasper's mouth or something. :-)

You gotta hand it to the team management, just a couple of years ago the team was basically MvDP and a bunch of warm bodies to make up the numbers, but now the are perhaps the best cobbled classic team, and it wasn't by signing big names but by building it up from within.

Also playing moneyball well. Picking up Silvan Dillier from AG2R - probably for relatively cheap - and he played his role today (at least I think he did, it was hard to pick out all the mob of Alpecin riders who gave MdVP a magic carpet ride all the way into the Arenberg.

Speaking of the Arenburg, not getting to watch today. How did the group handle the added "chicane" turn before the section? Reading articles prior to today that was going to be a seemingly interesting wrinkle to slow the group down. Did it do that, was there any issues? Not even noticeable?

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Brooks Doughtie, M.S.
Exercise Physiology
-USAT Level II

Does anyone know what happened to Van Barle? he is listed as DNS

No issues, but also the peloton had already detonated by that point - maybe around 30-40 left? So there wasn't quite the usual savage battle into it.

It sounds like they have different plans for next year. Maybe, in years to come we'll speak wistfully of the Lacets de Arenberg.

I read or heard somewhere that he got sick.

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It doesn't really matter what Phil is saying, the music of his voice is the appropriate soundtrack for a bicycle race. HTupolev

With the "chicane" it may well have been safer, but watching made me think I'd rather carry my speed onto the cobbles.

Boonen had not yet won his world title when he did the RVV - PRbx double in April 2005. He won the title later that season.

He was sick so he didn't start

Rik van Looy was the reigning world champion when he did the Flanders - Roubaix double in 1962.

He is the only rider to achieve that before MVDP did it this season.

Yep, I got it wrong, and corrected myself a few posts later. Apologies for misleading everyone!